A Kent man was left battered and bruised after he was attacked by a mob of teenage thugs, some wielding lumps of wood.

Neil James, 27, from Hoo, was set upon as he left a takeaway in Strood, near Rochester.

It is thought around a dozen teenagers aged between 14 and 16 kicked and punched him to the ground - smashing him over the head with lumps of wood.

He said: "My friend tried to pull them off me but he was so outnumbered he didn’t stand a chance. I had my dog with me and he was able to scare them off. If he hadn’t I don’t know if I would have survived."

The construction worker, who is originally from South Wales, says he has been left emotionally and physically scarred by the assault.

He was immediately taken to hospital after the attack.

Read the full story in Monday's print edition of the Medway Messenger.